The Hinders of Innocence
by Spudwick13
Summary: Kurt is becoming weary of Blaine talking about how "cute" he is all the time. Sometimes, even the most innocent people want to feel a bit sexy. –Takes place during the summer after season two


_Kurt is becoming weary of Blaine talking about how "cute" he is all the time. Sometimes, even the most innocent people want to feel a bit sexy. –Takes place during the summer after season 2._

-o-

"Kurt…"

Kurt Hummel's lips upturned as he heard the moan elicit from his boyfriend's throat. He continued to nibble at Blaine's lower lip causing the gel-loving boy across from him to deepen their kiss even further.

Santana and the other New Direction's members were so wrong. Just because – whenever the group got together during the summer and the flamboyant male drug Blaine along with them – he and Blaine did not peel away from the group every five minutes to make out did not mean that Kurt didn't kiss his boyfriend. The closest they had ever come, and ever _would_ go, to public displays of affection was holding hands with their faces all but inches apart. This moment had only lasted but a few moments thanks to Puck's inappropriate exclamation (something along the lines of "Hummel, get some!").

The fact, though, that they were here in Blaine Anderson's small beige 1998 Toyota Corolla parked outside of Kurt's house with him letting out a shuddering breath as Blaine let his tongue sweep the inside of his mouth proved them all incorrect. Reluctantly, Kurt pulled away from his gorgeous companion and sunk back into the passenger seat with his breathing shallow. He almost giggled as a needy Blaine whimpered slightly from the loss of contact and leaned over to give his boyfriend one last kiss on the cheek.

"Blaine, honey, we've been parked here for over five minutes. If we stall any longer, my dad will drag me inside in all of his power." He stopped to gauge Blaine's reaction. The singer looked hesitant, his eyes losing some of the spark they had a moment ago and became clouded over. This time, Kurt did giggle and also brought a hand up to stroke Blaine's cheek a few times affectionately. "Your fear of my father is completely irrational. You know he adores you."

He chuckled, placing one of his hands over Kurt's that was still rested on his face. "It's just a little hard to wrap my head around that when he's always warning me what will happen if I ever hurt you," Blaine joked, face softening as he stared into Kurt's breath-taking bluish eyes. His hair was sticking from all the places Blaine had run his hands through it during their kiss, the Warbler noticed, bemused. A beautiful mess.

Kurt's eyes narrowed abruptly and he tore his hand away from Blaine's and to his head. "What's wrong with my hair?"

This snapped Blaine out of his trance. He made another grab for his boyfriend's hand but Kurt still resisted. "There's nothing wrong with it, Kurt." When he still looked hesitant, Blaine pulled the countertenor's hand away from his head and enveloped it in his own while running his other through Kurt's product coated locks. "No matter what you do, you will always be the cutest, most adorably beautiful thing I have ever laid eyes on."

Kurt broke eye contact with Blaine and stared at the car's floor. "Thank you," he breathed. His partner smiled sweetly, leaning in and pressing a chaste kiss on his cheek, copying Kurt's gesture from a few minutes earlier.

"You had better get inside," Blaine suggested as the unconventional boy in the passenger seat popped his door open and exited the vehicle. He watched him leave and the second before Kurt closed the door, Blaine snuck in one final "I love you."

Kurt poked his head back in and gave his boyfriend an uneasy smile so indistinct he wasn't even sure Blaine caught its anxious edge. "I love you too," he replied smoothly, resulting in a true grin from the Dalton student. With that, Kurt shut the car door and walked up his drive, disappearing into his house a moment later.

-o-

A week later, the two as well as the rest of the New Directions members were gathered at Kurt and Finn's house in honor of Miss Quinn Fabray's birthday. Kurt knew full well that Rachel had been pestering his step-brother about it for weeks, begging her on-and-off boyfriend to throw a party for her with their entire glee club since her old Cheerio friends were obviously doing nothing to celebrate the beautiful girl on her special day.

A rather flustered Finn had agreed on the spot without really taking the time to process the focused girl's proposition. After he had agreed, Rachel had, of course, immediately started planning an extravagant party for her new friend. By the next morning, she had already planned out food, drinks, and had invited over half of their glee club members. Now though, they were sitting in the Husdon/Hummel's backyard on a piece of lawn with plates strewn all around them; thankful the July weather had been so accommodating.

"Really, guys," Quinn insisted for the thousandth time that afternoon. "You didn't have to do this for me; I was probably just going to take it easy and maybe go to see a movie with my mom."

Santana scoffed. "Really, Blondie? Would you honestly rather be home watching another Jennifer Aniston rom-com with your mom than here, drinking this surprisingly good punch with us?" The cheerleader took a sip from the cup in her hands as she finished her inquiry.

The mohawked boy grinned from his cross-legged position two people over. "That's probably the Jack Daniels I spiked it with," he clarified, waving the bottle concealed in a brown paper bag in front of her face. Santana raised her right brow before gulping more of the drink down her throat eagerly. Kurt, however, who had just raised the cup to his lips and was about to take a sip, lowered it back into his lap with a slight grimace.

"All right," Rachel proclaimed, jumping to her feet. "I have an announcement to make!" As she spoke those words there were, as per usual, many different reactions from the group. Finn sat up a little straighter, smiling encouragingly at his girlfriend whereas Santana and Puck groaned loudly. Tina and Quinn both made a face at her comment but otherwise made no remark; Quinn clearly felt as though she couldn't be contradicting to the outspoken brown haired girl after she went to all the trouble to make her birthday a good one and Tina was just a sweet girl at heart. Her boyfriend however let out a quiet "here we go…" prompting a small smile from the brown eyed girl Mike had his arm around.

Blaine watched all these different responses, bemused and took Kurt's soft hand lying in the grass. He glanced over to see the appearance-conscious boy's reaction to Rachel's simple phrase. Kurt had just rolled his eyes as he looked over to give Blaine a smirk that read exactly what the Asian boy in front of them had whispered.

Rachel had stopped speaking for a moment but otherwise showed nothing to suggest the teen's responses had any effect on her, which they probably didn't anymore. "As I was saying…" she continued, giving her teammates a pointed stare. "I was browsing our performing arts center's website, where Blaine found his Six Flags Summer Show audition; looking for activities kind of like that we might be able to put on a college application this next year and came across _this_!" She pulled a folded piece of paper from the pocket of her atrocious plaid skirt and tossed it across the group where Kurt caught it with the hand that wasn't entwined with Blaine's.

"What's this?" he asked wearily, struggling to open the flyer one-handed.

"_That_," Rachel replied impatiently, "Is the event that placing in would give us a better shot at getting into Julliard, Kurt! It's a singing competition in which you choose an artist and you compose your own medley of their songs. You then perform it at the center on July 13th and compete with all other contenders for a high score. They give out prizes for first, second and third; all are scholarships to any college or university of your choice. First place is a ten-thousand dollar scholarship!"

Kurt raised his eyebrows slightly, skimming the flyer Rachel had tossed him. "Now," she continued. "I know the rest of you may not be able to match my incredible talent, but I do encourage you all to sign up with me! It would a tremendously enjoyable experience for all of us and I would love for all of my friends to consider it!" Blaine could see a slight shifting among Rachel's crowd as she spoke.

"When did we become friends…" he heard Tina murmur. Her tone was not unkind but legitimately curious as to when this had occurred. Mike just shrugged his shoulders and tightened his arm around hers. Kurt, however, had zoned out completely, as any sane person did nowadays when Rachel opened her mouth. It was only when the petite brunette girl said his name again did he snap back into reality.

"What?"

The next thing he knew, Kurt's hands were being clung to by an overexcited Rachel Berry, her face looming close to his as she stared at him intently. "Kurt, you simply _have_ to enter this competition with me," she stated in a tone that suggested what she was saying was final. "You still want us to go to Julliard together, right?"

"Absolutely, but –"

"But nothing, Kurt Hummel; I want to go to that school and if we don't go together it just won't feel right. Being in New York without you would be like Barbra singing Happy Days/Get Happy without Judy Garland! Like Gene Kelly in Singing in the Rain without Donald O'Connor!"

"Why am I Donald O'Connor?"

"The point is, Kurt, if you won't do this for yourself – though I can't imagine why you wouldn't – do it for me. I want you up on that Broadway stage belting out a theatre classic with me someday and I will _not_ let you mess up my plans by lowering your chances of getting into the school of our dreams and not performing for a scholarship." The space around them had gone dead quiet; the words Rachel had just spoken starting to sink in.

"Just something to think about," Rachel continued brightly, standing up straighter. Releasing Kurt's hands, she brushed imaginary dust from her skirt. "Now, who's up for games?"

Groans were audible all across the yard.

-o-

"What are you going to be performing?"

Looking up at his boyfriend from his latest edition of _Vogue_, Kurt frowned in confusion. "Hm?"

"The medley contest at the performing arts center," Blaine clarified, smiling encouragingly at him. "Have you started yet? The competition is next Friday, you know."

Kurt grinned. "Oh I know, I'm working on it."

"… Am I allowed to know the artist you're going to be covering?" Blaine's confusion only increased when the boy across from him fixed a stand of his perfectly styled hair before leaning over to kiss his nose.

"You'll just have to wait and see, won't you?"

Blaine opened his mouth to respond when the door to Kurt's bedroom swung open to reveal an anxious looking Carole. The duo sitting on Kurt's bed glanced up at her as she grimaced uncertainly. "I thought we agreed on an open-door rule, you boys."

While Blaine sat, terrified that Finn's mother would become furious, somehow his boyfriend always knew just what to say. "Really, Carole," he said lightly with a laugh. "What do you think Blaine and I get up to in here?" He gestured to the magazine and the set-lists for Blaine's Six Flags shows as if to say 'look, we're planning my beau's performances for his theme park shows later this summer, shoot us.'

So far, putting together a set-list for his shows hadn't been the easiest. Most of their selected songs either weren't exactly theme park material or simply didn't fit his voice. All they could decide on at the moment was Rihanna's _We Found Love, _Taylor Swift's _You Belong With Me, _and an unplugged version of The Wanted's song _Glad You Came._ Up to now, he had three songs for two and a half months of shows.

Right now, though, Carole was still glancing at him and Kurt hesitantly before locking eyes with Blaine. "Your dad called, he said he texted you five times but you didn't respond. He needs your help with a project at home."

Moaning, the short student slid off of the bed – scattering some of the papers in the process – and stretched. "Thanks, Carole. I'll be down in a second."

The middle aged woman gave them both a quick smile before leaving the scene, leaving the bedroom door wide open in her wake. Kurt rolled his eyes at the act and copied his boyfriend's movements, joining Blaine on the other side of the room. He stopped a few feet from Blaine, though, feeling the curly haired teenager's beautiful hazel eyes on him just before his arms snaked around Kurt's torso and pulled him in tight.

Kurt could feel his cheeks begin to tinge pink as they always did when Blaine was this close to him. His blush only increased as the shorter boy started to nuzzle his neck sweetly, placing loving kisses to his collarbone. "Blaine…" he objected half-heartedly, a tone Blaine didn't miss. Kurt could feel him smile into his shoulder. "The door's wide open."

Blaine pulled away briefly to stare into Kurt's eyes again, his own dancing with humor and affection. "Really, Kurt," he finally said amusedly. "What do you think we get up to in here?" He paused a moment, clearly admiring the slight blush that tinged Kurt's cheeks. "You're so beautiful," Blaine murmured, placing a small peck to the corner of his mouth.

In the next moment, he was grabbing his book bag and heading out the door. "I'll call you later," he promised before disappearing.

Down the hall, Kurt faintly heard Blaine thank his dad and Carole for their hospitality and then the sound of an engine as Blaine's car pulled out of the driveway. He sighed and placed his body back onto the bed, sifting through and organizing the plans for Blaine's shows. Kurt took great care not to bend any of the papers as he stowed them away in a portfolio covered in their music note doodles.

Kurt _loved _Blaine. Loved him to pieces; even more so than the last collection by the late Alexander McQueen. But lately, Kurt had been rather frustrated with his boyfriend's urges to keep him chaste. Blaine would change the subject if a topic that was even the _slightest_ bit suggestive, constantly remind Kurt of how gorgeous he was, almost as if Blaine had to protect him from something.

Granted, the dapper young man did have a reasonable cause; one that made Kurt cringe each time he thought about it. The Warbler's performance of _Animal _had possibly been the most embarrassing, pride-killing time of the performer's life. How he had gotten a lead vocal part of a song that was supposed to be sexy, Kurt had no idea, but he had ended up performing the song with his soon-to-be boyfriend and while his part might have breached the flirtatious expectations, his actions had fallen severely short due to his almost humiliating lack of experience. He had basically channeled his inner Lady Gaga with facial expressions that, according the ever-blunt lead vocalist, made him look like he had serious gas pains.

Push came to shove and before Kurt knew it, he was spilling all of his insecurity to Blaine, explaining to him how uncomfortable he was around the topic of sex because he hadn't the slightest idea what to even make of the subject. Blaine had then gone out of his way to make sure Kurt _wasn't _uneasy in such situations, going to such lengths as to talk to his father about the matter. Now, even Kurt had to admit, the thought of such circumstances wasn't as repulsive as it once was.

Due to this progress, he was compelled to wonder why Blaine was acting as though Kurt was still a "baby penguin?"

It wasn't that Kurt wanted to have sex with Blaine. He pushed that thought far into the future; until they were absolutely serious or even married (Kurt blushed at the thought). He just wanted his boyfriend to realize that he didn't _want _to be treated like he was twelve when it came to such a subject, especially by him. He was ready to be as sexually appealing to the gorgeous Warbler in the way he, admittedly, already was beginning to be for him. Kurt had hoped that after Blaine had inflicted that extraordinarily awkward talk between him and his father, he would realize that.

Clearly, though, he didn't. Kurt pondered this as he pulled out his medley in progress which would hopefully assist with the whole affair.

-o-

"Rachel, I'm not sure if I can do this…"

"Come on, boy, what happened to your confidence? You look really awesome, by the way!"

Kurt certainly didn't feel awesome. If anything, he felt like he was about the throw up. Disgusted by the nauseous feeling churning in his stomach, he tried to distract himself by fiddling with one of the many straps on his knee-length, jet-black boots. Because he was freaking out so bad, it was nice to have Mercedes and Rachel there for moral support; Rachel had even halted her own preparations to aid Kurt in his.

"Kurt, Mercedes is right. The key to any remarkable performance is confidence. You could be an atrocious singer but if you go out there and give them a show with a wide smile and bold actions you can win, I should know. In one of my first singing competitions in 1998, the girl who won was truly awful. The _only_ reason she beat me was because she was practically radiating with self-assurance." Rachel pulled the cap off a tube of liquid eyeliner almost aggressively. "I'll bet the judges were just worried about breaking the poor girl's heart so they –"

"The point is," Mercedes put in loudly, cutting across Rachel's miffed rant. "That you rock and if you go out there and _you_ believe you rock, you're a shoe-in!"

"Absolutely! If you win second, we're one step closer to going to Julliard together," Rachel said, now beaming. She sat Kurt down on a stool in the greenroom they were standing in and motioned for him to close his eyes. He did so, and Rachel began carefully applying the eyeliner to Kurt's eyelid.

July 13th had come way too fast for Kurt's liking. He hadn't practiced his medley nearly as much as he would have liked and now, sitting here wearing eyeliner and black clothes that – even though they were from some of his favorite designers – were so bizarre even he would have thought twice before wearing almost anything on his body right now out in public, he felt more unprepared and ridiculous than ever. Rachel had tried to convince him that he hadn't gone overboard and that some of the other performances people had prepared would make his like watching golf on television.

Still, the question remained: What would Blaine think? Maybe he would take the performance the wrong way, maybe he would be offended…

_Stop worrying!_ The carefree side of him reassured. _It's completely harmless!_

Harmless? If he succeeded tonight, this would very likely be the most risqué performance he had ever done. That included the appalling presentation of _Push It_ their first week in glee club.

Rachel finished applying the makeup and stood back to observe her handiwork. After hearing the okay to open his eyes, Kurt saw Mercedes looking down at his sitting form with an encouraging glance. "Babe, you're going to be amazing up there. That audience is going to be so wowed that they aren't going to know what to do with themselves. Honestly, they'll love it; Blaine will love it."

Kurt opened his mouth to thank her when there was a light knock on the door. A short man, about Blaine's height, with a scrawny figure and unruly hair dyed an astonishing shade of orange stood at the entrance holding a clipboard. "Kurt Hummel, you're on next," he informed before diverting his attention to Rachel. "And you're on right after him."

Rachel gave him a wide smile. "Thank you, Patrick!" The man nodded and left.

"Oh, Gaga… I can't do this." Kurt raked a hand through his carefully spiked hair which he was sure had enough product in it to fuel a fire. "What if Blaine misinterprets the whole thing? What if it's too much…?"

"Hey," Mercedes laughed, placing a hand on his shoulder. "Confidence, white boy, remember? All of us have faith in you. Now get out there and knock 'em dead!"

Almost as if on cue, the lights flashed in the room and a booming voice could be heard over the speakers. "Spectacular! Now, we have our second to last performance of the evening. Please welcome to the performing arts center stage Mr. Kurt Hummel!"

Kurt felt a bit shaky walking up on stage (and it wasn't just because of the men's wedge heels on the boots Mercedes had convinced him to wear) but as he walked to the center of the stage to begin his arrangement he could feel all the tension melt away. The applause as he entered erased all doubt and gave him the confident adrenaline rush the girls were so certain he needed.

The blinding spotlight made him sweat in his exotic, black outfit as he stepped up to the microphone stand and skimmed the crowd for Blaine to no avail. "Hey guys," Kurt said jovially into the microphone, hearing his voice boom around the auditorium. As he spoke, the stage lights changed abruptly to red and purple, the colored spotlights he had personally requested for this performance. An audible gasp was heard from the audience. "I hope you don't mind," he continued. "But we're going to shake things up a bit."

A smile graced Kurt's lips as the spectators broke out into indistinct chatter and the introduction music began.

-o-

Blaine hardly recognized his boyfriend as he stepped out onto the stage.

He and Kurt had picked up the girls late, arriving at the performing arts center almost an hour after the event had already started. So, after giving Kurt a quick kiss for good luck, he had let Rachel and Mercedes direct the flamboyant male to the dressing room while he found an empty seat in the auditorium.

Given his luck and the fact that this event had turned out to be a big one, there wasn't even a single empty seat left for Blaine to take, forcing him to stand against the wall with at least ten other viewers. When the announcer had proclaimed loudly that his boyfriend would be performing next, he could never have prepared himself for the spectacle the stepped out before him.

In fact, Blaine almost fell over when he caught his first glimpse at Kurt. His first thought was, _He looks like Adam Lambert_! Quickly followed by, _Jeez he looks hot._

The instant the thought entered his mind; Blaine roughly tried to push it out. Kurt had made it very apparent that he wanted to take it slow, which Blaine was more than happy to oblige (if it meant that he got to be with Kurt, Blaine was willing to do just about anything). After the _Animal_ debacle almost six months before, Kurt had also made it obvious that he had uncomfortable with anything new even borderline sexy in a relationship. Because he knew that this could definitely hinder Kurt if he ever had a boyfriend (he had wished but had no idea that he could possibly be in that position), Blaine had talked to Kurt's dad and encourage him to educate his son on topics such as these.

The thing was, Blaine had no idea how much Burt had explained or whether it had made any significant difference at all. Kurt had explained to Blaine once that the subject wasn't as bothersome as it had been, which was certainly progress, but he made it a point to ease Kurt into everything involving their relationship. It was like Blaine had told him in the coffee shop on Valentine's Day: He _really _didn't want to screw this up. What he had with Kurt was one of the most important things in his life and he wasn't about to risk anything that might obstruct them.

"Hey guys!" Kurt's tone was perky despite his atypical appearance. The lights on the stage turned darker, transforming into shades of deep red and purple. "I hope you don't mind but we're going to shake things up a bit," he finished with a grin as the music began. Suddenly, it all made sense why Kurt was dressed like the American Idol star.

Kurt had chosen Adam Lambert as his medley artist.

Blaine's lips parted a bit as he stared up at his boyfriend, not quite sure what to make of this development. He had little time to contemplate it as the vocals began almost immediately.

"_Come on!_

_I'm here for your entertainment_

_Oh, oh. Whoa oh oh oh oh_

_Yeah yeah yeah yeah_

_Oh! I'll bet you thought that I was soft and sweet, thought an angel swept you off your feet_

_Well I'm about to turn up the heat_

_I'm here for your entertainment!"_

Blaine recognized the song blend between the singer's first single and a catchy tune from his new album. He was shocked, frozen against the back wall and scarcely able to believe what Kurt was _doing_. If Kurt was going to do a medley of songs from a pop culture artist he had assumed it would be Lady Gaga, Kurt's go-to artist, just like Blaine's was Katy Perry.

The astounding part was, the songs actually suited Kurt's voice perfectly, utilizing all of the best attributes in his voice. He was exploiting the same virtually seductive tone he had used when performing _Animal_ and creating an energy about him that was far more compelling than the aforementioned performance had been.

The music shifted to that of just _Naked Love_.

"_Take it off, and try me on"_

Kurt laughed a little into the microphone, clearly amused with the experience and the response he was getting from the cheering audience.

"_The hottest threads, you ever wore_

_So ro-o-oll the dice, get lu-ucky tonight_

_I know you're holding back_

_No more hesitation!"_

The music did just that though. It slowed dramatically until only the faint strumming of a guitar could be heard. Kurt removed the microphone from its stand and sat down on the edge of the stage, legs dangling comfortably off of the edge as he prepared to sing the acoustic number.

"_Before you break you have to shed your armor_

_Take a trip and fall into the glitter_

_Tell a stranger that they're beautiful_

_So all you feel is love, love_

_All you feel is love_

_Love!"_

As his unconventional boy hit the belting note, Blaine felt shivers run down his spine and the crowd drank it in, shouting approval. The sensual smirk decorating Kurt's face throughout the performance disappeared for a moment, changing to a genuine smile as the listeners applauded.

The performer hopped up from his sitting position, still beaming as he continued onto the chorus; acoustic guitar strumming energetically in the background.

"_Wanna scream out, no more hiding_

_Don't be afraid of what's inside_

_Wanna tell you, you'll be alright_

_In the aftermath!"_

There it was again! Where had Kurt been hiding this voice? Usually when Kurt went in for a high, belting note, his voice became extremely thin with _Defying Gravity _as the only exception (Kurt had sung it with him in the car one day). This, though, was simply incredible…

"_Anytime anybody pulls you down_

_Anytime anybody says you're not allowed_

_Just remember, you are not alone_

_In the aftermath"_

The final note rang through the auditorium and a couple of people starting clapping, clearly thinking that the performance was over until a more funk, electronic sound burst from the speakers and silenced them immediately. It was definitely a divergence from the soothing guitar of the previous number.

"_Welcome to the master plan_

_Don't care if you understand!"_

Kurt's sexy composure was back, swaying his hips intrepidly in time to the bass. As self-conscious as he was, Blaine couldn't bring himself to look away even though (despite the fact that every fiber in his being was opposing) he had to remove his jacket and place it strategically in his lap.

"_There's you, there's me_

_I feel your energy_

_I hope, you'll see_

_Things ain't what they used to be_

The lights dimmed abruptly around the theater.

_Look at the face…_

_Look at the face…_

_(You hate the paradox_

_You put us in a box)_

The lights burst back to full wattage as Blaine mused whether Kurt had even considered what effect this surprising performance might have on him.

"_We are the face of a new generation_

_We are the ones who have no reservation_

_Don't give a damn about your cold calculation_

_Welcome to the master plan, don't care if you understand_

_Don't care if you understand…_

_Welcome to the master plan…_

An instrumental that lasted a few seconds played in the background while Kurt replaced the microphone on the stand and smiled at the audience. The curly haired observer squinted as he tried to search his boyfriend's expression, almost desperate to learn what he was thinking.

Suddenly, the music stopped all together and Kurt sang the last few lines in powerful accapella.

"_Well I was walkin' for some time, when I came across this sign_

_Sayin' who are you and where are you from_

_We don't like when visitors come_

_No trespassin', that's what it said_

_At least that what I could read_

_No trespassers? Yeah, my ass_

_Wait 'til you get a load of me!"_

The end of Kurt's show was met with a deafening applause. He blushed, that adorable, familiar bashful side came back as he waved shyly at the audience. It appeared as though the theatrical performer had also caught sight of Blaine as his eyes searched his face even though they had to be 100 meters away. Blaine could tell that Kurt was frantically trying to figure out what he thought of the performance.

Truly, Blaine was shocked. Whether it was in a good or a bad way, he couldn't yet tell but the Warbler tried to picture it on his face as much as possible for Kurt to see.

After drinking in the audience's praise, Kurt exited the stage to his left and Blaine deftly escaped the auditorium just as Rachel took her spot on the stage. It wasn't that he didn't enjoy hearing Rachel sing – the girl had such an extraordinary voice Blaine was surprised no one had picked her up for Broadway yet – it was simply that handling Kurt and coping with the shocking show he had put on was more important than hearing Rachel belt out her best Barbra Streisand.

Blaine arrived at the backstage entrance in record time and quickly explained to the staff member perched there that he was a "friend" of Kurt's before pushing the door open and creeping inside as though not to disturb any of the other contestants.

His boyfriend wasn't that hard to spot. Thanks to his exotic appearance, Kurt stuck out like a sore thumb. He was standing in the corner with his fingers pushed against his temple and his head pointing toward the ground looking mortified and almost as if he regretted what he had just done.

Almost. The hint of a smirk was still dancing at his lips.

"Hey there," Blaine greeted, smiling slightly himself as Kurt jumped a mile into the air. The flamboyant teen looked practically afraid to meet Blaine's eyes and didn't say a word, so the gelled brunette continued. "That was quite the show."

"I'm sorry," Kurt burst out abruptly. "It was over the top, wasn't it?"

So this was how Blaine had felt after he had serenaded Jeremiah for Valentine's Day over six months before. Kurt was sure he had _never _made such a fool of himself, and given all of the wacky outfits he had worn and the things he done to express himself, that was a pretty high bar.

He was also pretty sure he had never seen his boyfriend more affronted than after he had finished his practically unrehearsed medley. Blaine obviously didn't think much of this new side he had tried to harness, even though he was smiling right now. Maybe Blaine was even insulted enough to slow things down and set their relationship back about three months. Either way, Kurt had nothing to do except stand there, looking down at his boyfriend and accept rejection.

Blaine didn't say anything more though, he just stood there with his eyes fixed on Kurt and shaking his head. Due to the heel on Kurt's boots, the height difference between him and Blaine was even more extreme. Still, he felt as though he were the smaller one.

"I'm sorry," he repeated softly, fixing his gaze back on the tiled floor.

Blaine took in a breath as if he was mulling over what to say. Finally he decided on, "I'm not mad." Just those three words took a little bit of the tension off of Kurt's shoulders as he looked up, checking to see if Blaine was just pulling his leg.

"You're not?" Just a few minutes ago he had been so fearless. Why couldn't he channel that personality now when he needed it?

Blaine chuckled slightly as he reached out and took Kurt's hand. That mixed with the adrenaline from the performance still coursing through his system almost made him pass out. Amazingly, he managed to just choke up, refusing to become weak and tear up for, admittedly, the sole purpose of not smearing the eyeliner decorating his azure eyes.

"Absolutely not. How could I be mad at you for doing something so bold and appealing?" Blaine questioned, a genuine smile tugging at his mouth as a pink tinge appeared on Kurt's snow white skin. "I guess I'm just confused about what the motive was behind that. I always assumed that you were so shy about –"

Kurt cut him off before he could stop himself. "My 'motive' was that, regardless of what you believe, I'm not a baby penguin anymore, Blaine. That I'm not some five year old you need to protect. I was just trying to make you see that but my presentation was a little extreme…"

Blaine was quiet for a moment before: "I thought you wanted the sweet innocence of a Broadway romance."

"I _do_! I just didn't want you to think I wanted a relationship where our hands don't travel below the waist because I didn't understand or couldn't handle it." Kurt stared forcefully and almost desperately into Blaine's beautiful hazel eyes, trying to make him understand where he was coming from.

A moment of silence engulfed the two during which Blaine squeezed Kurt's hand a little tighter. "I love you," he said earnestly, meeting his boyfriend's steady gaze and feeling it soften as the words rolled off his tongue. "Just one question: If you truly wanted a sweet, innocent relationship, how did you expect that medley to make it any easier for me to stick to the hands-above-the-waist rule we established?"

He knew Blaine was playing but that didn't stop Kurt's face from turning as red as the piping on the uniforms at Dalton Academy.

One of the center's staff members appeared and informed the entrants to take their seats in the theater so they could announce the winners. Hand still firmly locked in Blaine's, Kurt followed the others into the audience toward a section of seats reserved for the competitors. Despite the fact that he hadn't performed, Blaine took a seat in the set aside area next to Kurt who was still sporting the intense look.

A chattering crowd quieted as a balding man took the stage with a slightly overweight middle aged woman. The man removed the microphone from its stand and flicked it on. He tapped the receiver twice, clearly satisfied as a couple muffled knocks were heard through the speakers.

"Good afternoon," he greeted with a broad smile. "Thank you all for coming out to support these students today in our 3rd annual medley competition." The man paused as a faint clap was heard from the audience. "My name is Stanley Rose and this is my good friend and colleague for over 30 years, Mrs. Erika Bailey." Another round of quiet applause. "Before we begin I would like to thank all of the young minds that competed today, a _very_ nice job to all of you…"

Mr. Rose made several other announcements that Kurt couldn't hear. Somehow, the feeling of Blaine's fingers running gently in various patterns over his palm entailed more attention than a smiling man thanking the judges for the event and advertising a musical set to open later that summer at the stage.

"Sadly, there can only be a few winners today," Erika Bailey continued, the change in speakers jolting Kurt's attention back to the stage. "So let's see who placed third!" One of the band members played a joking drum roll as the woman referenced her paper and the man read off the third place recipient.

"Miss Rachel Berry!"

Rachel stood up from a seat in the row in front of Kurt and Blaine looking slightly indignant as an odd mixture of pride and dissatisfaction colored her featured. Nonetheless, she all but skipped up to the stage where Stanley Rose awarded her with a certificate, making her 2,500 dollar scholarship official. A generous applause sounded through the auditorium for Rachel as she smiled onstage.

"Now for second place!" Mrs. Bailey consulted her notes before smiling and making the announcement.

"Mr. Kurt Hummel!"

Cheers were heard all around the room – including a couple of "whoops" in Kurt's honor as he rose from his seat to take his place on stage. He accepted his certificate (after almost tripping on the boots) for the 5,000 dollar scholarship and gave Rachel a warm hug before standing beside her, glancing contentedly out at the encouraging crowd.

Blaine hadn't seen any of the performers except Kurt and he knew that none of their friends had either. Thanks to traffic and last minute set list changes, both parties had been over an hour late. As a result, Blaine had no idea who else had performed that day but whoever had landed the first prize had to have been pretty freaking amazing to top the skill and theatricality of Rachel and Kurt. He was eager to observe who got that honor.

"And now, first place and a 10,000 dollar scholarship to a school of their choice go to…" A pause for dramatic emphasis stretched out the tense moment.

"Miss Santana Lopez with her breathtaking Maroon 5 medley!" The presenters beamed as Satan herself sauntered up to take her place beside the Julliard bound pair.

At first Blaine was curious as to why Kurt hadn't told him that Santana had entered as well but one look to both Kurt and Rachel's faces spoke volumes. They had no idea that the Cheerio had entered the competition.

As Santana received her credential, she smiled sappily and swiftly took the microphone from the balding man.

"That's how we do it in Lima Heights," she announced, flashing the spectators a sassy grin.

-o-

After congratulating Santana and grilling her on why she hadn't said she was entering (resulting in nothing more than a smirk, airy wave of a hand, and the explanation that it had "slipped her mind"), Blaine drove a prideful Kurt back to his home. Pulling into his driveway, he cut the engine and looked over at his gorgeous, successful boyfriend. His wedged boots had been discarded on the floor the instant they had entered the vehicle to prevent any more pain and the product in his wildly styled hair was beginning to wear out.

Kurt smiled though, delight plain in his eyes. Blaine smiled fully as he reached out to replace a stray bit of Kurt's hair with the others. "I'm so proud of you," he murmured honestly.

"Thank you for understanding," Kurt breathed back as Blaine pulled him into a tight hug, wrapping his arms securely around his boyfriend's waist and pressing a kiss to the top of his head as Kurt grinned into his shoulder.

Some things never changed.

-o-

**Hiya!**

**So this idea just fell into my head. I had just watched season two's **_**Sexy**_** and was listening to Adam Lambert's new album when I thought, "How cool would it be if Kurt sang an Adam Lambert song?" Then – after a eureka moment during which I cackled happily at my cleverness – I realized "Wait… I can make that happen!" Thus, this was born.**

**If you've happened to have made it this far, I thank you. While I'm no stranger to the FanFiction world, this was my first time composing a Glee story so I hope it lived up to your expectations.**

**Feedback is greatly appreciated. I'm not one to harp on people to review my work but I just thought I would put that out there because I'd really like your opinions on how I did.**

**Disclaimer: While it would be awesome, I do not own any characters, places, or names that are affiliated with Glee. All belong to Fox and Ryan Murphy. The music in question belongs to Mr. Adam Lambert.**

**~Spudwick13**


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